GCHS Grad Wraps Horror Film Shoot

Not all screenwriters have a chance to see their ideas come to life on camera, but filmmaker Christopher Wells has recently completed a major component of his creative vision and is feeling positive. Wells and his crew just finished shooting his full-length independent horror film The Luring in Vermont, an experience that he said went pretty smoothly, despite a fair number of challenges.

“I feel really great about it,” said Wells in a phone interview from Vermont during the second week of filming. “The level of acting we have is remarkable. It’s really amazing to see people interpret the script I wrote and bring it to a whole new level.”

Wells got his start in production at Glen Cove High School in the television production class and has continued learning more since graduating in 1991.

His Brooklyn-based production company, Kaleidoscope Pictures, took on the project of The Luring last year, shooting the first scene and the trailer and raising money for the costs of the feature-length film.

Writer and director Christopher Wells on set.

The Luring is a psychological thriller about a man who returns to his family vacation home where a murder took place during his 10th birthday party, hoping to finally resolve a memory gap that has been plaguing him for years.

Wells said the movie is very dark and some of the scenes are even hard for him to watch. He noted that it is not a typical “slasher” film, but is unique because of its unpredictable plot, strong character development and subtle foreshadowing.

Wells, who wrote the script and is directing the movie, and his producers, Brian Berg and Sandy Ayesh, raised $135,000 towards production costs, which is considered low budget in the industry.

That tight budget—which also means a tight schedule of just three weeks—is not a big issue, however, according to Wells, who noted the film has a high level of production value in addition to the professional actors.

“Some low budget films have bad actors or actors without endurance,” said Wells. “Mine are doing a great performance on every take.”

This means his editing process will be easier, since he will have choices. He also praised his steady cam operator, assistant director and the rest of the crew for making sure everything stayed on track.

One of the scenes of the movie, which was shot in Vermont.

During filming, the crew shot from sunrise to sunset the first week and from sunset to sunrise the second week. They shot on location at various places in Vermont, using his mother’s vacation home as the primary setting.

“We don’t have the luxury of being off schedule,” said Wells, noting the crew was dealing with rain, wind, freezing temperatures and strange noises from the woods at night. “We’re very efficient and we’ll have to make it work.”

Now that filming is wrapped, Wells will spend about two months in post production and then shop it around to film festivals.

“I have to first focus on making the best horror movie ever,” said Wells.

And now, after seeing the bulk of it come together—even though he still has a lot of work ahead of him—he’s even more confident that he’ll succeed in creating the movie of his dreams.

(Photos courtesy of Kaleidoscope Pictures)

“The film is going to blow up,” said Wells. “I believe it more now that it’s not just a dream, but a reality.”

To watch the trailer of The Luring or to contribute to the post production costs, visit www.theluring.com or www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-luring-movies-film#/.